


Thanks For All the Memories (and Those We've Yet to Make)

by Samshine_and_Lollipops



Series: Art School [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Angst, Artist Sam Winchester, Background Dean/Cas, Bad Parenting, Bartender Gabriel (Supernatural), Bottom Gabriel/Top Sam Winchester, Characters Play Dungeons & Dragons, Dean winchester can't sing (sorry), Drunk Dean Winchester, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Former Porn Star Gabriel (Supernatural), Happy Ending, Humor, Janitor Gabriel (Supernatural), Karaoke, Life model Gabriel, Lucifer is Called Luke (Supernatural), M/M, Meta, Minor Becky Rosen/Chuck Shurley, New Year's Eve, POV Becky, POV Castiel (Supernatural), POV Dean Winchester, POV Gabriel (Supernatural), POV Jo Harvelle, POV Sam Winchester, Porn with Feelings, Ridiculous Gabriel (Supernatural), Rimming, Sexual Harassment, Smut, Unprotected Sex, Vignette, family arguments, musically talented Gabriel, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samshine_and_Lollipops/pseuds/Samshine_and_Lollipops
Summary: When Sam restarted his education he didn’t have a clue what lay in store for him. It’s been hectic, a journey, so much harder than he expected and yet that much more fullfilling. And then there’s Gabriel. Sam never expected to find love, never thought he could love again. But he has and he does and it’s so much more than he ever imagined.Confronting his past was never going to be easy, but with Sam’s help, Gabriel got through it, dealt with some things he never thought he could examine again. He feels stronger, more able to face the world. Ready to face a new decade with hope in his heart and a few raunchy ideas in mind.Dean didn’t know what to expect from this town, this place, but he sure as hell knew that Sammy needed a fresh start. What he wasn’t expecting, was to find a fresh start too.Becky… well Becky went and found herself a new OTP…
Relationships: Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Series: Art School [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1491455
Comments: 56
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is pure indulgence. Mostly fluff, silliness and well... smut. There is a little angst on the side though so I'll give warnings where necessary.
> 
> For those of you who wish it I've included a Road So Far in the End Notes (spoilery for the other fics in this series of course)

GABRIEL

Gabriel leans back in his chair and smirks. The faces in front of him look slightly… shell shocked. His work here is done. And hells was that just as fun as he thought it would be. 

Charlie’s the first to recover. Her lips twitch upwards, her expression slowly changing into one that he’s going to interpret as ‘mighty impressed.’

“I didn’t think it was possible… but… dude that _was_ worse than S1.”

“Seriously?” Dean blinks and picks up his character sheet. Gabriel can just about see the long list of crossed out HP stats through the paper. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Gabriel quirks one side of his lips upwards, along with an eyebrow. “Well if you will go charging into places all gung ho, _without_ checking for traps…” He shrugs a shoulder, smirk stretching across his features once more.

“You know what Gabriel? Bite me,” Dean retorts, slugging back his beer and shaking his head.

“Maybe later big b-” 

_Ow_. Goddamn pointy elbow in his side. Gabriel turns and glares at his boyfriend’s raised eyebrows, ignoring the choking sound across from him. He rolls his eyes. Ok fine. Maybe not the best joke to make to your boyo’s big bro, especially with his boy toy (and Gabriel’s lil bro – wow he’s not getting over this tangled web anytime soon) glaring across at him. Seriously, he can feel the chill of Cassie’s icy gaze from here. 

“Uh um… Gabriel… Sphere of Annhilation though… isn’t that… isn’t that supposed to be a total… um… dick move.”

Gabriel turns his attention to Chuck’s stuttering attempt at playing peace maker. _Well now I’m regretting inviting you._ Chuck looks hastily away and Gabriel sighs. No, no he’s not. He is regretting that glare though. Damn he missed his best bud. They’ve hung out from time to time over the years, but it kind of trailed off after a time. Something a little too broken between them to fix…

He’s glad Sam suggested it. Glad and surprised as hell, because Chuck comes as a package deal these days. A super perky package, that shows a vaguely unhealthy interest in Sam and Gabriel’s relationship. 

“Hmm maybe,” Gabriel conceeds with a small chuckle. “But hello,” he twirls an index finger in front of his face, “Dungeon Master. I’m supposed to make dick moves. It’s in the job description.”

Charlie laughs at that and leans across the table to give him a fist bump.

“Yeah maybe a few. But that, my crazy power hopped friend, was J K Rowling writing The Deathly Hallows level of twisted evil douchery.”

“Uber dorky references aside,” Dean smirks, having apparently recovered from both the disintegration of his built like a brick shithouse barbarian fighter, and Gabriel’s ‘inappropriate’ remark. “She’s got a point. I mean come on man, I thought this was supposed to be fun… uh I mean for you nerd types.”

He gestures across the table at Sam. Gabriel chuckles as Sam sends him an epic bitchface.

“That _was_ fun!” Gabriel exclaims, with a mock offended expression on his face. He purses his lips, smirks. “For me.”

“Well I thought it was amazing!” Becky pipes up excitedly, clapping her hands together and smiling broadly and slightly maniacally when Gabriel glances across at her. He shoots her an easy smile.

Well at least he has one fan. At least Becks enjoyed it. Even if her plucky thief halfling (obviously a thinly veiled homage to his good self – he’s not _that_ short, or hobbity damn it) did spend the majority of the adventure attempting to seduce Sam’s Half Elf Fighter Magic user (clearly a not so inventive self insert – he expected more enthusiasm and creativity from an Art student, honestly). Sam had been hilariously uncomfortable about the situation; Chuck had just looked resigned… and maybe a little hopeful that Becks would work herself up for some high quality hanky panky later on.

Sam leans into his side and gives him a little peck on the cheek, before getting up and heading over to the bar where they stashed all that leftover booze from their crazy cabin retreat. Jo turns from her conversation with Benny and smiles at his approach. Dean sighs heavily and gets up too, downing the remainder of his beer before following Sam. Cas of course trails behind him. Those two are still pretty much joined at the hip… when they’re not joined elsewhere. Gabriel’s not going to judge. He isn’t. He and Sam have been spending a whole lot of time together too. Alternating between his place and Sam’s. There were a few ‘embarassing’ misfires, before everyone agreed to let Gabriel schedule their sleepovers. Honestly, you’d think the cabin had taught them nothing. 

Of course all of this, it’s not going to be practical once college starts up again… but for now they both seem reluctant to move away from the comfort of waking up in each other's arms. From the glorious things that so often follow. It’s an easy thing to get used to.

Gabriel sighs happily and takes a few moments to oggle Sam’s jean clad ass before pulling away from the table himself, leaving Chuck, Becks and Charlie to their post game analysis. It’s time to hit up the jukebox. They’ve got a little fun set up for later with Becky’s karaoke machine. Damn is he glad he invited them. That is definitely gonna make Sam hot. Definitely gonna lead to a little hanky, with a heavy side of panky. His ass may still be a little tender from a rather enthusiastic session this morning, but he’s not gonna let that stop him from getting his first fuck of the year, nay the decade, in straight off the bat. 

He flicks idly through the options. Nothing too in your face, nothing too distracting. Midnight’s still a good 3 hours away. There’s plenty of time for the merry making. For the glowsticks and ridiculous photo booth style accessories Gabriel brought along. They absolutely have to document this. When else will they get the opportunity? Gabriel hasn’t thrown a party in a ridiculously long time. His apartment’s laughably small. There’s little enough room for Sam and himself to throw their own private x-rated party. As they swiftly found out while trying to take a few artistic reference photographs mid fuck. Sweat, gravity and hard surfaces… Not a good combo. 

Any old how. No room for any wild shindigs. He was a little stumped as to what to do. Apart from Sam. That’s a given. They could have headed to New Bern, hit up the local night club. Heaven ‘n’ Hell. Not the most classy of places, but it does in a pinch. Except… well it has been awhile… but the last time Gabriel was there… Not his finest hour. He was heartbroken. Drunk. Definitely a bit reckless. Definitely a bit of a mess. _My beautiful mess_. Yikes. He does not want to think about Grabby Hands Mc-Ho Nuggets right now. And he most definitely did not want to risk bumping into her or her equally obnoxious gang. 

Besides, after a slightly frivolous Christmas spending spree, Gabriel’s damn near broke and Sam’s in pretty much the same boat. Enter their Shield Maiden in shining armour. Gabriel smiles fondly as he remembers their little catch up sesh a few short days ago…

~~~

“ _You’re starting to look like a yeti.”_

_Gabriel rolls his eyes and gives Jo a hard stare. She shrugs a shoulder. Sighing heavily, he slides off the arm of the chair and strides over to the mirror on her bedsit wall. Ok, so she might have a point. He hasn’t bothered shaving for… Actually he can’t remember exactly when. It was some time during those hellish two pre-Christmas weeks, when he was working his ass off to cover for Lucy’s little melt down. He’s worn a beard before, but he wasn’t actually intending on one right now and this semi beard isn’t looking classy, it’s just scruffy as hell. Oh crap is that grey? Is there grey in his goddamn scruff. Yikes no. Definitely shaving._

_“You need a haircut.”_

_Gabriel glares at Jo’s smirking reflection. Then he really looks. Yeah she might have a point there too. His hair’s always got a mind of it’s own, but right now, it looks a little like he’s gone through a hedge backwards. He sighs._

_“Damn it Jo-ster, thanks for the pep talk.”_

_She gives him a satisfied, **you’re welcome** , smile. He huffs out a breath._

_“I can’t afford a haircut. I can’t afford to feed myself. I can’t afford to show Sam a goddamn good time for New Year.” He doesn’t whine. It just sounds like it. “It’s the turn of a new decade Jo-ster. We should be celebrating! And not just with a good fuck… Though definitely with that too.”_

_Jo sighs and wraps her arms around his middle, resting her chin on his shoulder._

_“Well, the de-yeti-ing I can definitely help with.”_

_He raises his eyebrows in the mirror. She detaches herself, gently takes his shoulders and motions him towards her desk chair._

_“My roomie and I used to do it all the time for each other.”_

_He drags the chair over to the mirror and perches on it as she grabs a pair of mildly lethal looking scissors from her desk drawer. Either he’s getting a hair cut, or she’s finally done with his shit and is getting ready to off him._

_She steps up behind him and lifts a lock of hair, running the scissors up and up..._

_“Woa woa woa, not that short!”_

_She raises an eyebrow and moves them down a little. **Come on a little further.** She laughs and shakes her head. But follows his wishes, snipping off an inch from the bottom._

_“Gabe, this is barely a trim. You’ll just need to get it done again in a couple of weeks time.”_

_He shrugs his shoulders. She gives him an exhasperated look, drawing the scissors away quickly before they can impale him. Right ok. Maybe he should stay still._

_“Gotta keep the curls Jo-ster.” She raises a questioning eyebrow so he elaborates. “Sam likes to grab onto them when we fuck. Especially when I get a little mouthy.” He raises his hand and makes a grasping and twisting motion. “It’s so hot when he grabs a fist full and just really rams it-”_

_“Christ Gabe!”_

_Gabriel eyes her disturbed face in the mirror. So apparently there is such a thing as over sharing with your gal pal cum surrogate sister. Who woulda thought it? He gives her a sheepish look. She rolls her eyes and just continues as if nothing just happened._

_“About your other problem…”_

_It’s now Gabriel’s turn to raise his eyebrows. The Harvelles have been more than generous lately. If she offers him a loan there’s no way he can take it._

_“How about we have a little gathering at the Roadhouse?”_

_He gapes at her in the mirror. Is that even possible? The place has been shut since the day after Christmas, opening up again just before term time starts up. It makes sense, being the unofficial student bar. The vast majority of students disperse and the locals usually don’t turn up in big enough numbers, preferring the less student infested bar in town. Their peak times of year are just after exam weeks and Hallowe’en, not the festive season._

_But would Rufus allow…?_

_Jo just gives him a little smile. “Leave it to me…”_

~~~

Gabriel runs a hand over his smooth chin and smiles at the memory. She did a good job with the do. He doesn’t like to brag. Actually he does… But he looks pretty damn good… A lot better anyways. The little Christmas retreat with Sam of course. That also worked a treat. He doesn’t look worn out anymore. No more zombie eyes. He also, mercifully, doesn’t have half a dick and a ball scrawled on his face (a lovely early Christmas gift from his big bro). Jo helped him remove the faded remains with some miraculous heavy duty make-up remover. 

Gabriel smiles to himself as he selects a few tunes. Bit of Bowie, some chilled out jazz, one or two fairly innocuous pop tunes that Dean-o’s going to complain about. Hmm maybe a little Johnny Cash…

Besides saving his good looks, Jo damn well saved their New Year. Of course she did. Gabriel can be persuasive, but he’s no Jo Harvelle.

~~~

SAM

Sam leans into Gabriel’s side, enjoying the fleeting sensation of warmth, the press of one strong bicep against his chest. He presses a light kiss to his lover’s smooth cheek. He wants to do more. He wants to take hold of Gabriel’s chin and tilt his face up and around. He wants to capture those beautiful quirked lips… But he’s already paused too long. Becky’s got that manic look on her face. _Christ_. No. Not with her right there. Later. Later they’ll find a quiet corner. Really quiet if Gabriel starts to get carried away… which is likely. 

Smiling at the thought, Sam heads towards the bar. Jo looks over as he approaches and smiles. Sam smiles back. Or at least he attempts to. He’s pretty sure he looks as awkward as he feels. Thanks to Gabriel’s somewhat obnoxious older brother Luke, Jo has now seen what he looks like dressed in nothing but an undersized cheerleader skirt. And despite Gabriel’s reassurances to the contrary, Sam has the feeling that she saw the other picture too. The one with him faceplanted on the floor, the skirt thrown up at the back, ass bared to the whole damn room. Awkward doesn’t even begin to describe this situation. At least Jo has refrained from running her eyes up and down his body. Unlike Becky, the other recipient of documentary evidence detailing the most humiliating experience of his life. 

Sam quirks another awkward smile, this time at Benny, as he circles the bar and grabs a fresh beer from the fridge. He doesn’t know what came over him, encouraging Gabriel to make contact with his old friend again. Invite him along to their New Year celebrations. He knew that if Chuck came along, he was likely to be bringing his girlfriend. And Becky’s well… Becky is quite an experience. Sam glances up and catches sight of Gabriel’s smiling face. He’s happy, relaxed. After what he’s been through. After all the turmoil of his past came rushing to the forefront... Sam can put up with a few awkward situations to see that smile on his face again.

His eyes catch on his brother, making his way over to the bar, Cas trailing close behind him. Sam turns again, bends over and grabs a couple more beers from the fridge. He eyes the bottles of colorful liquid sat next to them. Might as well grab one of these for Gabe too.

“That goddamn dice was loaded,” Dean complains as he sidles up to the bar. “There’s no way he hit that many 20s otherwise.”

_It’s all in the wrist action Dean-o. All in the wrist action._

Sam snorts out a laugh as he remembers Gabriel’s earlier defense and the accompanying inappropriate hand gestures.

“Dude your boyfriend’s a frickin power hungry meglomaniac. Don’t think there’s much to laugh about.”

Sam just shakes his head and deposits the beers in front of Dean and Cas to muttered thanks from his brother and a more heartfelt, “Thank you Sam”, from Cas. Sam’s eyes are drawn across the room to where Gabriel’s now situated, at the Jukebox, lips pursed as he flicks through the available selections. He looks… well the first thing Sam always notices about Gabriel is just how goddamn beautiful he is. They’ve been dating for almost 2 months now, but Sam still gets amazed by it. By the gorgeous curve of his mobile lips, by the striking honey gold of his eyes. The slope of his pointy nose, the chin that should be too prominent, but somehow perfectly balances his features. His hair is neatly combed for once. Trimmed, but still long enough to curl over at the back of his neck. Sam knows how soft those curls are. Remembers the feel of the silky strands running through his fingertips this morning…

~~~

_Gabriel gasps as Sam runs his fingers through his hair to the curls at the back of his neck. Gabriel kept it long. It might be a personal preference, but Sam imagines it’s just for him. So he can do this… He threads his fingers through the soft strands and grasps a handful, tugging sharply as he slams his hips forward. Gabriel’s complaints disappate… transform into long gutteral groans. The only words decernable now: **Sam, fuck, please** and maybe a few more choice swear words. _

_It’s hard and frantic. Neither of them will last long. They never do when it’s like this. They grasp at each other desperately. Gabriel’s digging his fingertips into Sam’s flesh. Almost hard enough to bruise._

_He likes it soft and gentle. He likes Sam’s loving caress. But sometimes. Sometimes, Sam knows, Gabriel needs this. He needs it a little rough. A lot needy. And if Sam’s honest with himself, sometimes he needs this too. He needs to lay claim to his lover. Needs to feel every rough stroke, hear the sounds of their skin slapping forcefully together, hear Gabriel’s hoarse yells ringing in his ears._

_He feels his balls start to tighten. Almost. Christ. He needs Gabriel to come first. Sam reaches between their sweat slick bodies. Wraps his fingers around Gabriel’s aching length. He’s firm. Not gentle. Gabriel wouldn’t want him to be. The gentle… that comes afterwards. Now it’s all about need. And he needs those gorgeous lips. He crushes their lips together, drawing Gabriel’s lower lip into his mouth briefly as he begins to stroke with a punishing pace. Gabriel pants into his mouth. Sam tastes the words on his tongue. His own name. Or is it a gutteral cry? It’s both. Wetness spills between them. Gabriel pulsing messily. But Sam is barely aware of the sticky mess striping across his chest. He’s caught in the grasp of that perfect tight embrace. Gabriel’s inner walls spasming around him as he rides waves of pleasure. Buried deep inside Gabriel’s very being, Sam spills his own aching release…_

~~~  
Sam blinks. He swallows around the lump in his throat. Raises his eyebrows at his brother’s disturbed face and… Castiel’s looking a little uncomfortable there too. He guesses he kind of got lost in his memories. Maybe… 

He follows Dean’s pointed gaze down to… _Oh_. And apparently he’s caressing Gabriel’s alcopop bottle in ways that might be construed as… Sam flushes and clears his throat. Maybe he should go over and give this to Gabriel. Yeah right now. He gives Dean and Cas an awkward smile and circles around the bar, making a beeline for Gabriel as the opening bars of David Bowie’s “Starman” filter through the sound system.


	2. Chapter 2

DEAN

Dean scrubs a hand over his face. Son of a bitch. Seriously Sam. Seriously? At the start of this… this whole crazy situation, his brother was acting like a goddamn teenage girl. Texting non stop. Talking about his _feelings_ … And Dean’s not even going to think about that one time Sam got drunk and started to wax lyrical about his boyfriend’s dick. He makes a face and takes a sip of his beer. Definitely attempting to purge that memory from his skull. 

Now… now he’s acting very much like an uber horny teenage boy. It’s been two months give or take and they’re still at it like rabbits. Can’t take their eyes off each other. Nor their hands. And Dean is absolutely not counting the number of times he’s walked in on them in various states of undress, or even worse… No he’s not thinking about that either. Needs some heavy duty mind bleach to forget that last instance. Sock on the door handle. Why is it so frickin hard for his brother to get that damn concept?

He feels fingers brush gently over his knuckles and looks up into brilliant blue eyes. Cas gives him a knowing look. He fights the urge to roll his eyes. 

“It is good to see them happy is it not?” Cas has got that earnest look going on, though those damn kissable lips twitch upwards in a small smile.

Dean shakes his head and sighs. Cas is right of course. He’s always right. Dean grumbles into his beer and looks across at his brother as he hands over one of those frickin ridiculous blue alcopops and leans against the jukebox. He has a great big nerdy grin on his face. His eyes are all lit up like damn Christmas lights. As Dean watches, Gabriel says something that makes Sam flush and dip his head, then he’s back to the grinning. 

Damn it but it is good to see his brother happy. For 6 long years Dean watched him waste away. Not literally. He’s too much of a health freak for that. But inside? He was a hot mess. And Dean… he felt so goddamn helpless. He watched as Sam grieved, as he practically drowned in guilt that he had no business feeling. But he wouldn’t listen. Not to Dad… but then they’d never had a great relationship. When he wouldn’t listen to Dean… that was a harder pill to swallow. They’re brothers. They fight like cat and dog sometimes, but at the end of the day, when all is said and done, they’ve got each other’s backs. Always have done. And when they… when they lost Dad. All they had was each other. 

The mess with Ruby drove a wedge between them. Losing dad brought them back together. Sam was still hurting, still messed in the head. But he was there damn it. Came home straight away. He and Dad never saw eye to eye. They were too different in some ways, maybe a little too similar in others. Sam certainly caught Dad’s stubborn streak. That’s for sure. But when the shit came down, Sam was right there, by Dean’s side… holding him up. Staying strong for the both of them. That was usually Dean’s job. But Sam put aside his own issues and he helped Dean through his. 

Then he just stayed on. They stuck it out together. Worked their way through all their shit by just carrying on. 

It wasn’t good enough though. Not good enough for Sammy. Dean knew that. Couldn’t take him wasting his life away in some dead end job. He’s got too much brains, too much talent to waste it like that. And so Dean had made a decision, goin on a year and a half ago. He wasn’t going to push… Ok maybe a little. Maybe a little nudge in the right direction…

~~~

_“Dude what’s this for?” Sam eyes the package in front of him and looks up at Dean through his ridiculous bangs._

_“Present,” Dean mutters through a mouthful of deliciously crispy bacon roll._

_Sam makes a face at him and shakes his head. “It was my birthday a month ago Dean. You got me that subscription to Busty Asian Beauties… remember?” Sam purses his lips and shoots him a prize winning bitchface._

_Dean snorts out a laugh and grins. “You’re goddamn right I did. Best present ever.”_

_Sam sighs and shakes his head, muttering, “Maybe for you Dean,” under his breath._

_So much for the gratitude. Dean rolls his eyes and takes a swig of his beer, before wiping a paper napkin over his lips._

_“Just open it dude. It aint gonna bite.”_

_Sam makes a face at him, but finally, finally picks up the package and carefully removes the wrapping. Dean watches in anticipation as Sam just frowns down at the polished brown leather surface. After a beat, curiosity gets the better of him, he undoes the loose knot and opens the book to the first blank page. Brow furrowing, he flicks through the clean blank pages that follow._

_He doesn’t say a word. Just keeps on flicking, face completely expressionless. Dean holds his breath, lets it out. Damn it, here goes nothing…_

_“Fresh start Sammy,” he says in a low voice._

_Sam’s eyes finally flick up to his and he gives his brother what he hopes is an encouraging smile._

_“You know you miss it.”_

_Sam just stares at him for a moment, expression drawn, then he gives the smallest of nods…_

~~~

It’s hard to reconcile that person with the one he sees now. It’s a goddamn cliché, but it’s a good one. Sam’s like a brand new person. Not just back to the way he was before. He was happy back then, sure. With Jess. Ready to make a life with her. But now… Dean’s never seen him like this. 

Dean takes another swig of his beer. He feels Cas’ fingertips brushing across his knuckles again. He shoots him a small easy smile, before turning his attention back to Sam. If there’s one thing Dean appreciates about Cas, it’s that he doesn’t feel the need to fill the silences. He’s content for them to just stand here, lost in their own thoughts, without making dumbass small talk for the sake of it. So unlike his brother.

Dean watches as Gabriel practically vibrates on the spot, hands flying through the air as he relates some anecdote or something to Sam. A dirty one by the flushed look on Sam’s face. Dean can’t help but laugh and shake his head. Dude is really not what Dean would have expected for his little brother. He has to admit he was thrown at first. But as annoying as Gabriel was, he pushed his brother to make a move. Knew he needed to get his head out of his ass and move on from all the shit from his past. 

What he wasn’t expecting, was for Gabriel to stick around. Came across as a player at first glance, a flighty one at that, but then… Then Dean started to see through the bullshit façade. Through the ‘smart-ass’ shell. After all, it takes one to know one. The fact that Gabriel genuinely cared for Sam, that soon came through loud and clear. Realising that the mouthy little asshole was good enough for his brother. That took a little longer. 

After the cabin, after seeing all the shit the Novaks have been through… Even Luke. Dean glances over to the corner where Luke’s been busy ignoring everyone, tongue firmly planted down his new girlfriend’s throat. Yeah he doesn’t get that one either, but each to their own. Sighing he takes one more look over at Gabriel. Dean can’t see his expression from here, but he doesn’t need to. Dean’s seen the way he looks at Sam when he thinks no-one’s watching. Like he’s undressing him with his eyes, sure. But there’s more to it. A whole lot more. 

In all likelihood, Gabriel will always get on his nerves, the little shit seems to enjoy it that way, but through all the cocky bullshit and attempts to piss people off, he’s actually… he’s actually not bad. Dean won’t come right out and admit it, but Gabriel’s good for Sam. Has him smiling, has him taking the world in his stride. And he thinks maybe Sam’s good for Gabriel too. He genuinely hopes they make a go of it. Keep it going for the long haul. Because seeing that look on his brother’s face? Worth every damn awkward situation, worth all the ridiculous bullshit Gabriel pulls.

Dean smiles and takes another drag of his beer. Speaking of the long haul, he has high hopes for that too. He turns to face Cas. They don’t need to talk. They do that plenty. But for now he’s just happy to stand here and get lost in those goddamn beautiful blue eyes.

~~~

BECKY  
_Oh my God_ ….They’re actually going to… Becky watches as Sam leans forward and brushes a lock of hair from Gabriel’s face. Then they’re doing that staring thing. That glorious, beautiful staring thing. Then there’s a sort of low growling noise. Definitely Gabriel. He’s so cute when he gets all desperate and lusty! Becky bites her lip as Gabriel reaches up and grabs hold of Sam’s neck, pulling him down into a kiss that can only be termed as ‘searing’. She holds back a whoop of joy. Barely.

Darn it but she’s a romantic. A great big romantic at heart and these two… they get the goosebumps going, the heart singing out a rhythmic beat. It’s been an epic fairytale. No not a fairytale. There was all that glor- ahem, _heart breaking_ angst. But Becky knew, she knew these two crazy kids would get it together. Right from the moment their eyes met over a crowded life drawing room. Sparks literally flew. She knew…

~~~

_Becky sighs. Another show ended. Another golden opportunity for the perfect ship passed over. Darn those writers. They always tease. Make you fall in love with these incredible friendships that are so so much more. The beautiful men that look at each other intensely. That will literally do anything for each other. They stand too close. Breathe heavily. Maybe even lean right into each other’s personal space for 10 seasons. And the fans go hey… wow they are so in love. And they wonder. And then they write. Beautiful epic love stories… with a heavy side of delicious smut. Then boom. Show’s cancelled. They all watch with baited breath as they count down to the last episode. And they know. In their heart of hearts they know. It will never happen. But they still hope… And if that series is Lost Girl, the fans rejoice. Otherwise… Back to the drawing board._

_And that’s where she is now. Months on from her OTP being another might have been._

_But then she walks into her life drawing class and boom! Heart all melted and dripping down to her toes. He’s absolutely stunningly gorgeous. Tall, dark, ripped. She can’t take her eyes from him. She tries to focus but wow, how can such beauty exist in this world?! He’s talking to Charlie. If only she had Charlie’s confidence. She’d love to have those darling eyes on her. Is it getting hot in here? She fans herself. Looks away._

_Gabriel! Oh she does like Gabriel. He’s wonderfully flirty. Used to hang out with her boyfriend long ago, real BFF material, way back before Becky met Chuck. It’s kind of sad that they parted ways. They still see Gabriel from time to time. But… there’s an awkwardness there. They had some big falling out years ago and… well there’s something not quite right between them. Gabriel’s super lovely to her though, even reads her fic sometimes. Makes super encouraging comments. Gives her lots of pointers for the sex scenes._

_She turns her head back. She can’t help it. She’s human darn it! Huh… The way he’s looking at Gabriel. Is he analysing him? Thinking ahead to drawing him. Surely that’s all it is. She shakes her head. Oops materials, she should really start organising them instead of all the drooling!_

_The first two short poses are always a bit frantic. She doesn’t have time to think. Just do. She tries for the whole body on the first pose. When Gabriel shifts into the second pose he gives her a small smile. He’s not really her type, but she has to admit he looks cute when he smiles. And then he cants his hips towards her. She stifles a giggle. He knows her too well. Definitely time for a close up._

_Second pose down. She looks over her work. Gabriel may not be her type, but he does have a really beautiful cock. No wonder they wanted him for porn. Ok better focus. 30 minutes. She can produce some really great stuff in that time. Her portfolio could definitely do with a few key pieces._

_But… She bites her lip. A quick look._

_And that’s when she sees it. The **moment**. The very moment when the man looks up and he freezes. He’s… he’s mesmorized! Oh wow this is… This is so much better than all those shows. Right there. That is one human being falling for another human being at just one glance. It’s beautiful. It’s glorious! And suddenly Becky doesn’t want to be with this man. Doesn’t want to feel his huge hands all over her body… ok maybe she does a **little** … but more than that. Much more than that. She wants to see this unfold. _

_Her drawing is trash. Utter trash. She almost laughs. Just like her. But she can’t tear her gaze away. It’s definitely hot in here. Blazing hot. She watches the man draw. Watches him stand back and just gape again. Ellen comes over to speak with him. Sam, his name is Sam. It’s a nice name. She flicks her eyes back to Gabriel, sees his lips twitch. Oh if he only knew! In time he will. Surely he’ll be just as smitten._

_She doesn’t have to wait long. Ellen calls for the lunch break right after the pose has ended. Becky watches eagerly as Gabriel stretches his back and then… boom! There it is! Still this beating heart! Honestly she can’t take any more. Because Gabriel is now staring right at the man, at Sam. Mouth hanging open. Like he just saw the tastiest treat. She’s so taken with watching his expression that she almost misses it, but when he looks down, her eyes follow and…_

_OTP. She just found her new OTP…_

~~~

“…Becks? Ah… um… do you… Becky?!”

She blinks and looks around as her boyfriend clears his throat. He regards her with weary blue eyes. Oops. 

“Do you… do you want another drink?” He asks her, haltingly, still not sure if he has her attention. 

She looks over his worn out features, feels a pang in her chest. He didn’t sleep last night. She shoots him a coy smile, hoping that maybe the thought of a little fun tonight might cheer his spirits. He blinks at her, then he’s giving her back a small shy smile. She nods her head. Then as he’s standing from the table, she wiggles her eyebrows at him. It’s a move she learned from the master. And it always works wonders. A smile spreading across her features, she watches as her thoroughly red faced and flustered boyfriend makes his way towards the bar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought it would be interesting to see their relationship from other perspectives and gain a little insight into their relationships with family members and friends. As I say, this fic is a little self indulgent, but I hope also enjoyable!
> 
> Oh and for those who haven't read my arty advent drabbles. There's [this little scene](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21731713/chapters/52133770), detailing one of those incidents Dean complains about at the start of the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS (for the memories/flashbacks): family arguments, traumatised kids (the arguments are offscreen, but we do see the effect on the children). No injuries.
> 
> I may break your heart a little with these...

GABRIEL

Well that was a class act. How ever will he follow it? Gabriel snorts into his alcopop bottle. Lucy’s new squeeze is certainly… something… Interesting tats in interesting places… Cassie’s eyes have never gone wider… Oh no wait… maybe in the cabin… when his bros and Dean-o caught him unawares in the kitchen after a spectacular session with Sam. Should he have hopped into the shower straight away?… Maybe. Should he have worn something over the come smeared cheerleader outfit?… Maybe. But hey, he was thirsty. That came out wrong. Even in his head. For water. He was thirsty for water.

Speaking of horrified bros and future bros-in-law, looks like Dean-o’s up next. Gabriel has heard Dean sing. This will not be pleasant on the ol ear drums. It should however, be utterly hilarious given that the minstrel in question appears to have downed one too many purple nurples again. Gabriel would have joined him, but the last time he had that shit… that was the start of a spectaularly bad night, one he’d rather forget. 

“Hey… you mind if I join you?”

Gabriel looks up to see Chuck hovering beside his table, beer in hand and uncertainty flickering in his bright blue eyes.

Gabriel feels his heart clench. Why did he ever let it get between them? Chuck was his best bud. What happened… it wasn’t his fault. Gabriel’s life may have gone to the crapper, but he never really blamed him… not really. Though he sure as hell lashed out. And that… It was never the same between them after that. He tried to carry on, pick up where they left off. But he was too stubborn to do the one thing he should have done… He’s not sure he can ever really make up for it, but he’s sure as shit gonna try.

“Course, pull up a pew,” Gabriel says with a warm smile and a sweep of his arm to indicate the many empty chairs.

Sam’s over with Cas, watching Dean prepare to murder… ooh ‘Eye of the Tiger’, should be fun. Gabriel’s just chillin back here, absorbing the ambience. Can’t be life and soul of the party all the time. He’s pacing himself.

Chuck pulls out a chair and shuffles himself awkwardly into it, shifting it first one way then the other, clearly not sure whether he should face Gabriel or the stage. Honestly, it’s kinda painful to watch. Once he settles on a side on view of both, he hunkers down, slouches his shoulders and just stares down into his beer, picking nervously at the label. Gabriel would make a quip about sexual frustration and label picking, but he’s pretty sure _that’s_ not the problem.

Gabriel takes a sip of his own drink and sets it down on the table. “It’s good to see you, old bean.” He quirks an eyebrow as Chuck glances up and finally meets his eyes.

“Uh… you too Gabriel.” 

Oh no, now he’s looking away again.

“Ah listen,” Chuck stutters out at the same time as Gabriel finally bites the bullet and says what he should have said years ago, “I’m sorry.”

Chuck freezes and just blinks at him.

Gabriel clears his throat. Damn, but he’s not good at these sorts of things. Conflict resolution, apologies. He usually goes with the old classics: deflection and distraction. He finds his own eyes wandering over to the stage. He snorts out a laugh. Dean-o’s got his foot on a chair and has launched into a super enthusiastic air guitar solo. 

Gabriel dips his head. He can’t be sincere while watching that. He’s not entirely sure being sincere is in his repertoire but he’ll give it a shot.

“I was an asshole…” Gabriel begins, eyes fixed on the blue bubbles swirling around his bottle.

~~~

_“I got the gig!”_

_Gabriel looks up from his textbook and grins broadly at his roomie._

_“I knew you could do it!”_

_He closes the book with a thud and hops off the bed, padding over to the little ‘shelf of sin,’ as they fondly call it, where they keep their meagre booze supplies and a few slightly suspect videos. This calls for a celebration._

_“Of course it’s not… there are a few… a few details to iron out.”_

_Gabriel arches an eyebrow at his friend as he pulls down a bottle of bourbon and a couple of glasses. Chuck is looking a little flustered now. He keeps running his fingers through his hair. He looks… nervous and maybe a little jittery. Just how much caffeine did he consume before the interview? Sure he didn’t get much sleep last night. That was pretty clear from his bedraggled countenance this morning. Better make it a double. Gabriel pours two large measures and hands one to Chuck, motioning for him to sit._

_He takes the glass in one shaking hand, takes a long sip and stares down into the amber liquid. Gabriel frowns and perches beside him, slinging a reasuring arm across his shoulders._

_“Hey, it’s just details, right?” Gabriel drawls, taking a sip of his own drink. “Point is, you’re gonna be El Director! Of your very first movie! This is big bud. Real big. ‘Bout time someone recognised your talent. You’re a goddamn artist my friend.”_

_Chuck sighs and takes a sip of his drink. “It’s porn Gabe… not Arthouse… But it’s… it’s a start.”_

_Gabriel chuckles. “Who says porn can’t be art?”_

_Chuck looks across at him and quirks a small smile. But then he goes all nervy again and looks away. Somethin’s definitely up. Gabriel squeezes his shoulder._

_“Uh Gabriel,” Chuck says at length, “those ah… details I mentioned…”_

_He clears his throat and digs in his pocket for a moment, rummaging around before bringing out a crumpled envelope. He holds it in his hands. Just sits there staring down at the writing. Is that… Is that Gabriel’s name? Curiouser and curiouser…_

_Chuck sighs heavily. “The… the thing is. The lead… their main guy… he moved on. Greener pastures…”_

_Chuck takes another sip. Gabriel’s desperate to know what the hells is going on, but he bites his tongue. He knows from experience that his friend can’t be rushed, lest he become a jibbering mess of syllables. Instead of being the smart ass he’s so tempted to be, Gabriel rubs circles into his friend’s shoulder blade._

_“So um… they need someone new and…” Chuck’s eyes flick up to his. Gabriel’s a little taken aback at the intensity. “They want you… ah… they want you to be the new lead.”_

_Gabriel just about drops his glass. **Woah woah woah**. **What?** He gets up from the bed and paces. This has gotta be a prank. Surely? Only… they both agreed to give it a break after their prank wars started to get out of hand. After Gabriel’s last prank ended with him receiving stitches in his left butt cheek… He maybe didn’t think that one through properly. But… He whirls around and looks down at his friend’s nervy, but hopeful face. Chuck’s good… but he’s not **that** good. Which means… Surely he heard wrong. Surely..._

_“Come again?”_

_Chuck winces and looks down, away, anywhere but at Gabriel’s face. “They um… their talent scout… they um… might have come to one of our gigs.”_

_His voice rises at the end, almost like it’s a question, eyes flicking up to his again. Gabriel raises his eyebrows. **Huh?** Chuck gives him a look. One of those, ‘you’re being incredibly dim’ looks. They’re rare, but man do they bite. And that’s when he gets it. **That** gig. The one when Gabriel maybe got a little carried away… a little hot under the lights… a little uh… naked. It was Rock n Roll… Maybe… Ok maybe not. Not his finest hour… Though apparently there are some who would disagree with that assessment._

_Gabriel opens his mouth, closes it again. Runs his hands back through his hair. Wow. They really want… Well that **is** kinda flattering…_

_He frowns. “I’m not… I’m not an actor…”_

_Chuck sighs and gets up from the bed. He presses the envelope into Gabriel’s hands._

_“They know… They just… they want someone with a lot of enthusiasm… energy… Flexible… A nice…” He coughs and looks away “… um dick.”_

_Gabriel purses his lips. Well he certainly hasn’t had any complaints. He looks down at the envelope, sets his glass on the desk and opens it._

_A moment later he’s sitting his ass down on his bed and gaping at the numbers. That… That could solve all his problems. He’s been putting money aside. A little here and there from their gigs. But he knows it’s not nearly enough. Not enough to cover Cassie’s scholarship. The one he should have. The one that was stolen from him. This… this would damn near pay a year. Could get him started at least…_

_He’s not shy… It wouldn’t be the craziest thing he’s ever done. If they could fit the filming around his lectures… Hells, is he actually considering this? Actually considering becoming a **porn star**? _

_Yes. Yes he is._

_Leaving the letter on his bed he walks over to where Chuck is sat back on his bed, shoulders slumped, staring into his glass. He takes hold of his friend’s shoulder, uses the other hand to grab hold of Chuck’s chin, dragging his dumb face up so he’ll actually look Gabriel in the eyes._

_Gabriel smirks. Chuck’s eyes widen. He doesn’t need to say anything, but he wiggles his eyebrows anyway, just to really get the message across. Then he’s staggering backwards and chuckling, as Chuck launches himself into Gabriel’s arms, hugging him so tight his ribs are sure to crack._

_~~~_

_“You know what… screw you too Gabriel…”_

_Gabriel looks across at his friend’s flushed and unhappy face. Ok maybe he shouldn’t have said all that. Maybe he shouldn’t have thrown all that shit around. But he can’t. He can’t look at him anymore. If it wasn’t for… Damn it, but if Chuck hadn’t dragged him into this… Gabriel takes in a deep breath… and another… clenches his fists by his side. It wasn’t his fault, the rational side of Gabriel can absolutely see that. But damn it, he’s not feeling rational right now._

_“Well, you know what, El Director? Why don’t you kiss my ass? You’ve seen it plenty. Shown it to the whole damn world. Shown everyone what a goddamn fuck slut I am!”_

_Chuck just shakes his head and looks away._

_Gabriel grits his teeth. He can’t do this anymore. It’s not like there’s anything left for him here. Not anymore. He stalks over to the door and pulls it open._

_“Gabriel…”_

_Gabriel pauses in the doorway, spine held rigid, but Chuck doesn’t say any more. Not a damn word._

_The door slams behind him and he just keeps on walking. He needs to get away. Far away._

_~~~_

Gabriel looks up into his friend’s weary blue eyes. 

“If… if I’d known what it would cost you… I never would have…” Chuck trails off and looks at him with pleading eyes, like he’s willing Gabriel to understand.

Damn it. Gabriel leans forward and grabs his friend by the shoulders, brings him in to a tight hug.

“I know, I know,” he breathes into Chuck’s short, scruffy hair.

They just stay like that for a long moment, just holding each other, just listening to the god awful tones of Dean murdering another classic rock tune.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriel pulls back a little, but he keeps hold of Chuck’s shoulders. 

“I’m not gonna regret it,” he says at length, eyes capturing his friend’s bewildered gaze. “Naomi… she would have found another way… She managed to screw Cassie over without him… screwing on screen… ya know? Only thing I regret… is taking it out on you. I’m sorry Bucko. You didn’t deserve that.”

Chuck stares at him for a beat, then he’s smiling a small smile and nodding his head a fraction.

Gabriel inclines his head towards the make shift stage. “One for old time’s sake?”

Chuck’s lips spread into a small, shy smile. “For old time’s sake.”

~~~

CASTIEL

Dean is not what one would call… especially musically talented… but Cas finds himself smiling anyway. He is certainly enthusiastic and there are other qualities about his performance which Cas would call… appealing. His sleeves are rolled to his elbows, revealing tanned forearms, his eyes are sparkling under the lights above him and his smile… Cas could get lost in that smile. He supposes he frequently does. 

The song comes to a close. Dean replaces the microphone and grins at him. Cas feels his pulse quicken. They have indulged in a great deal of pleasure filled liasons over the past few days and yet Cas feels like it’s the first time. The first time their eyes met; the first time he got lost in the depths of Dean’s gaze. Despite his flirtatious manner, Dean does not often engage in public displays of true affection, but tonight appears to an exception…

Cas startles. He freezes as Dean’s arms wrap around him. But as he’s drawn into that warm embrace, he relaxes, tension melting away as full lips press against his. There are a great deal of noises surrounding them. He’s pretty sure that the wolf whistles and jeering belong to his brothers. He ignores it all and brings his hands up, leaving one at Dean’s waist and the other reaching up to cradle Dean’s jaw. The kiss is brief, but it’s full of passion, of promise. 

When Dean pulls away, he feels a little breathless. _Mine_. They stare at each other for long moments until something catches Cas’ eye. He frowns, then he smiles. Dean turns to see what he’s looking at, sliding in at Cas’ side, arm slung over his shoulders. Gabriel glances over as he takes the stage. He smiles at Cas briefly before his eyes slide over to where Sam is standing. They share a moment. Cas feels like he should look away and yet he finds that he cannot. This is Sam’s doing. It does not surprise Cas in the least. He shall remember to draw Sam aside later in the evening, thank him. For this should have happened long ago…

Cas watches as Gabriel draws his eyes away from Sam, leaning towards his friend as they hunch over the display. His lips curl upwards, he laughs and points at the screen. Chuck smiles and nods.

The melody is pleasant. Cas recognises it, but he can’t quite remember the name of the performers who wrote it… he does however recall that the song was made famous by the classic movie, ‘the Graduate’. Cas doesn’t have a wide knowledge of popular culture, he is generally more interested in getting lost in an ancient text, uncovering the past and the stories of the people that lived long ago. However, there are a few classics that he finds appealing - and more palatable than the cult ‘classics’ Dean has introduced him to since they became friends – and the Graduate is one of them.

“…And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson… Jesus loves you more than you will know… Whoa, whoa, whoa…”

As Gabriel and Chuck’s voices join the melody, Cas smiles, warmth spreading through his chest. He has missed hearing this. Their voices are so different and yet they compliment each other perfectly. Chuck’s voice is higher in pitch, smooth and melodious; Gabriel’s is lower, rich, with a pleasant raspy undertone. They both sing well and it is clear to see the joy they glean from it. It is good to see that joy, to gain joy from hearing it… 

Warmth… Reasurance… These are the emotions that Gabriel’s voice evokes… Even after all these years…

~~~

_“Ok who would win in a fight between Cthulhu and Funshine Bear?” Gabriel bounces from the bed and grins widely at Castiel._

_Castiel wipes the wetness from his eyes and gives his brother an incredulous look. He knows what Gabriel is attempting to do, but the noises from downstairs are too loud… too angry._

_“They are…” he sniffs, swallows, tries again “…They are both fictional entities, so your question is not valid.” He draws in a long breath. Gabriel rolls his eyes. He’s being too literal again. “Funshine bear would not engage in violence under any circumstances…” Gabriel raises his eyebrows now. “…Which would lead me to the conclusion that Cthulhu would consume his soul… If he indeed has one…”_

_Gabriel chuckles. “You went on an skipped puberty Cassie, didn’t you? Gone straight into your golden years. Gotta say, that was an astute analysis Grampa Smurf.” He shakes his head and laughs again._

_There’s a loud bang downstairs. Another hoarse yell. They both startle, Castiel tries to keep it in, but the sob escapes him anyway._

_Gabriel’s brows are drawn together. There’s a look of anguish on his face. It’s fleeting, but Castiel sees it. It makes his chest ache._

_Then Gabriel’s snapping his fingers in the air, a broad smile spreading across his features and he’s skipping over to the guitar stand, picking up the battered old acoustic._

_Castiel smiles. Despite it all he smiles. He knows the melody. It’s so familiar. Gabriel can play several songs. But this one. This one he plays just for Castiel. Just when he needs it._

_“Raindrops are falling on my head… And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed… Nothing seems to fit… Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling…”_

_Castiel feels that familiar feeling of warmth, spreading outwards from the centre of his chest. Gabriel’s voice has changed, it still squeaks a little from time to time, but it’s lower now. Castiel finds he likes it even more. There’s something comforting in the tone of it._

_“…But there's one thing I know...The blues they send to meet me… Won't defeat me, it won't be long… Till happiness steps up to greet me…”_

_Gabriel’s voice rises, he tilts his head back, lips curling as he belts out the lyrics, fingers strumming the guitar strings with renewed vigor. His words, his voice, finally drowning out the horror beneath them. His lips stretch into a smile as he looks down at Castiel._

_“Come on Cassie. Not gonna leave me hanging are ya?”_

_Castiel finds himself smiling back and quietly, hesitantly, he joins in._

_“Raindrops keep falling on my head… But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red… Crying's not for me… 'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining...”_

_Castiel draws in a breath. He closes his eyes. Concentrates on just this. Just Gabriel’s voice. Just the warm feeling in his chest…_

_“…Because I'm free… Nothing's worrying me…”_

~~~

“Dude, your brother rocks.”

Cas startles at Dean’s slurred voice in his ear. He glances at Dean’s beaming smile. He finds his lips spreading into a smile that’s just as wide.

“Indeed he does Dean.” Cas looks over at the stage. At his brother’s broad smile. At the light in his eyes. “Indeed he does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... sorry!
> 
> For more Chuck and Gabe see the Arty Advent Drabbles [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21731713/chapters/52308637)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my defence... Ok I have no defence for this whatsoever. This my friends, is pure unadulterated smut. I'm sorry Rich, I'm really really sorry... *Is trash*
> 
> WARNINGS: I am trash... No wait you already know that.... Also, unsafe sex/sex without a condom.

SAM

Sam can’t stop smiling. Can’t stop the big goofy grin that’s spread across his face. Gabriel told him they were once in a band together and Sam can absolutely see it, absolutely picture it: a younger Gabriel, bright eyed and enthusiastic, standing back to back with his friend, guitars in hand. Singing with wild abandon, passion, letting the woes of their respective lives fall by the wayside as they get caught up in the music. It must have been quite the thing to witness. This right here is. Sam can see what they were, what they may have a chance of being again. Gabriel never told him why they parted ways, merely saying that they grew apart, but Sam knows that’s not the whole story. He can tell by the way they are now. Whatever held them apart… something has changed. Sam doesn’t need to know what it was, he just needs to know that Gabriel can have back what he once lost, that he can have the friendship he so sorely needs.

As the song draws to a close, they glance at each other. Chuck extends a hand, Gabriel rolls his eyes, batting the hand away and lifting his startled friend into the air, twirling him around and pressing a great big kiss on his cheek. Sam feels something in his chest clench, feels his smile spread a little wider, maybe his eyes sting a little. He hopes no one’s looking. Surreptiously he wipes at the corners of his eyes as Chuck makes a face, wipes his cheek and gives Gabriel a clap on the shoulder, before making his way over to where Becky is waiting with a look of pure glee on her face.

Gabriel stays where he is, clearly having too good a time to quit just yet. Sam just watches him as he frowns down at the song selections, lips pursed. He’s almost too caught up in Gabriel, he almost misses his brother’s approach. Dean looks… merry. 

“Your boyfriend rocks,” Dean slurs at him, clapping him on the shoulder a little too hard and pressing another beer into his hand. 

Sam shakes his head and laughs. Again with the purple nurples. At least he hasn’t insisted Sam join him this time. Sam wants to remember this night, enjoy this time together, not forget it all in an alcoholic haze. Thankfully Dean’s boasts of being able to hold his liquor aren’t just that. He might have a headache, but he won’t suffer like Sam would and his memory should hold, though he’s likely to remember his performance as being being rather more accomplished and in tune than it actually was.

Gabriel makes an exclamation. Sam looks up to see eyebrows wiggle in his direction. _Uh ok_. This should be interesting…

He doesn’t have long to wonder as the opening bars begin. _Is that?._.. Dean makes a noise of complaint beside him. Clearly he was expecting something more to his personal taste. 

“What the hell is this?” is slurred in his ear a little too loud, his brother leaning heavily against him.

Sam makes a face and turns his attention back to the stage as Gabriel starts to sing… Except he’s not exactly _singing_ per se. And those aren’t quite the right lyrics… Sam feels his face flush… Gabriel smirks in his direction, eyebrows dancing as he launches into the chorus.

“…He wore a… Raspberry beret… The kind you find in a secondhand store… Raspberry beret… If it’s warm, he wouldn’t wear much more…”

Dean snorts out a laugh loudly in his ear at that. _Christ_.

“Don’ know bout a hat, but your face is certainly tha color right now.”

He really has no doubt it’s true and he’s pretty sure that raspberry shade is getting ever brighter as Gabriel continues to fill an already risque song, with a whole lot of innuendo, lusty growls and… _oh God_ … and hand gestures. 

And then he gets to the bit about the barn and Sam knows exactly where and when he’s referring to. Not a barn exactly, but close enough… Apparently he can flush brighter and apparently… apparently Gabriel’s voice and the memories evoked... Oh God his jeans are getting way too tight, but he can’t look away, can’t help remembering…

~~~

_They have an old space heater on, but it should still be too cold in here… **Should**... but it isn’t, it really isn’t. Because Gabriel is laid out on the work surface, legs spread wide and sticking up in the air. Sam doesn’t know whether to laugh at the posture or… no he’s definitely flushing. Because Gabriel may look a little ridiculous, but he can’t seem to help being incredibly beautiful and arousing at the same time. Naked and spread out for Sam like that... _

_Gabriel cranes his neck and growls low in his throat as his eyes draw up and down Sam’s frame._

_“Mmm Samshine, just like that. Perfect. Gonna eat you all up… No wait, you’re gonna eat me.”_

_He laughs loudly, the sound echoing in the eaves despite the drum of rainfall against the workshop roof._

_Sam swallows around the lump in his throat. He hurriedly smears a little more grease across his abdomen, wipes his hands on a wet wipe and places the protective gear on his head, visor lifted at the front. He’s pretty sure **he** looks ridiculous now, but judging by the way Gabriel’s pupils dilate at the sight…_

_“Uh are you sure you want me to wear this?” he asks, even though he already knows the answer._

_“Holy smokes Sam, you got no idea have you?” Gabriel makes that same growling noise again, nostrils flaring as he looks his fill._

_He must be straining his neck by now, his face is all flushed, brow beading with sweat despite the chill, but he can’t seem to look away. Neither… neither can Sam. But despite that he can’t just watch. He needs to touch._

_He covers the distance in a couple of long strides. Gabriel flops back, cants his hips, legs still stuck out and up either side. Surely, that’s got to be straining by now too. How is that even remotely a comfortable position? Sam shakes his head and laughs lightly. Gabriel gives him a look that can’t seem to decide if it’s irritated or turned on. Knowing Gabriel, it’s probably both…_

_Sam reaches over and runs his thumb over Gabriel’s cheekbone, over the scribbled mark that’s slowly fading there. Gabriel’s lips part. Sam can see it, see the conflicting desires. He’s caught between wanting Sam to move it along already and wanting… needing this simple touch. Sam leans down and captures those lips in a soft, brief kiss, fulfilling one need before the other, rather more base, but no less passionate desire._

_He drops to his knees, dips his head and with the sound of Gabriel’s moans and the ever present beat of raindrops on the workshop roof ringing in his ears, he licks a long stripe over Gabriel’s budded entrance._

_Gabriel’s shaking, sweat beaded on pale skin, muscles taut under Sam’s constant caress. He feels the flesh beneath him start to soften and give as he makes another pass. Tentatively he narrows his tongue to a point and presses just there. A stream of swear words flow up into the still air as the very tip of his tongue dips just inside._

_Slowly, gently, he teases, just barely inside, just tasting, exploring. For long moments he stays like that, lapping at Gabriel’s hole, listening to the stream of conciousness falling from Gabriel’s lips. He feels the muscle begin to slacken beneath his relentless touch. Then he pushes further inside, delving into the smooth velvety depths. **SAM, love, fuck.** He lets the words wash over him, enjoying the rough cadence of Gabriel’s voice. He sounds hoarse already, that beautiful soft rasp. He wants to tell Gabriel how perfect he is, how gorgeous he sounds, but he doesn’t want to withdraw from the tight heat surrounding him. Not yet._

_His movements are quicker now, more forceful; the storm intensifies, rain beating a steady thrum above them. Gabriel’s straining forward, fingers threading in his hair. Pulling, grasping. It hurts, but it’s a good kind of hurt. Sam opens his eyes, glances up as he withdraws to the rim, flicking his tongue just there. Gabriel’s legs are still in the air. How? God he’s beautiful. Flushed. Hair sticking to his forehead in sweaty clumps. Lips parted, irises merely rings of pure gold around pupils blown wide._

_His eyes lock on to Sam. “Please. Need. Sam.” Sam withdraws. “No no no no no.”_

_“Shhhh. It’s ok. I’ve got you.”_

_He rises up, leans forward and captures Gabriel’s lips in a kiss as his hands fumble for the lube. Sam knows Gabriel must taste himself on Sam’s tongue and the thought sends a jolt of pure desire to his groin. Gabriel groans into the kiss; pants as they part. There’s a wild desperation in his eyes. **I’ve got you**. Sam presses his finger in, searching and finding and pressing right there. Gabriel shudders beneath him. His yells are drowned by the thundering beat. Sam dips down again. His tongue joining his finger. Pressing once more into that tight heat._

_He’s thrusting one moment, lapping the next, holding Gabriel’s hips down with one hand as he presses another finger in. It doesn’t take long… Gabriel’s muscles are giving way to him easily now. He doesn’t want to withdraw, but at the same time he’s desperate to be seated deep inside. Reluctantly he pulls back, withdraws fingers and tongue. Gabriel makes a desperate keening noise in the back of his throat. Sam places hands on his thighs. He takes the briefest moment to just look his fill. To see Gabriel so open, so slick with his saliva and lube. It’s a heady sight. He lets go and shuffles forwards, grabbing a condom from the work surface._

_He fumbles with the wrapper, almost drops it from shaking hands. Then Gabriel’s hand is on his. Sam thinks he’s going to take over, but instead he grabs the condom and flings it across the room. Sam just gapes at him. **What the…? Wait... He doesn’t mean…**_

_Gabriel’s craning his neck again. Regarding him with wild eyes. “Want to… want to feel you. Feel you come inside me.”_

_Sam’s breath hitches in his throat. They’ve both been tested of course, but they’ve never… “Are you… are you sure?”_

_Gabriel starts to roll his eyes, but then he halts, draws in a ragged breath, nods his head. He levels his gaze at Sam. “Please.”_

_His voice cracks at the end. Sam pauses. Stares. Then he bites his lip and slowly nods his head. He… he wants that too._

_It’s the same and yet it’s so much more. Because he knows there’s nothing separating them. Knows that the tight heat pressing around him, gripping him so perfectly, it’s all Gabriel._

_The storm is right above them, it fuels his movements. He wants to hold back, make this last, but he knows he can’t. He can’t hold back any more. He stutters his hips forward, Gabriel meets him half way. Their cries are lost in the wind and rain, but Sam thinks he can hear them anyway. He angles his hips, slamming back in. Gabriel bucks beneath him, yells breaking through. Right there. He keeps a steady rhythmn. It’s fast, frantic, but he revels in it anyway. In the skin pressing against him, surrounding him. The sweet friction, the hoarse yells. It’s amazing Gabriel hasn’t lost his voice yet._

_He watches the rapid motions of Gabriel’s hand as he chases his own release, matches the rhythmn. He relishes the sight of Gabriel’s features twisting beautifully in pleasure. He’s close. Sam just needs to hold on a little longer._

_He can feel it, feel the sudden taut tension in the thighs he’s grasping onto. If Gabriel gives warning, it’s lost to the elements battering down upon them... And then it’s crashing through him. Muscles clenching, impossibly tight around him. He cries himself hoarse as he’s hit by the tidal wave, pulsing deep inside Gabriel’s perfect, warm embrace…_

~~~

“…I think I love him… Damn right I love him…”

The music ends. Gabriel just stands there, lips parted, staring at Sam. He’s flushed now. Flushed and perfect, pupils blown wide. Sam can just make out the outline, even through the fabric of his jeans. He’s just as turned on as Sam is.

Someone coughs. Someone shouts, “Get a room,” a beermat comes sailing through the air and hits Gabriel in the chest. He doesn’t seem to notice it. Sam’s heartbeat is thundering in his ears, it reminds him of the rain battering the roof above them. He remembers collapsing forward on top of Gabriel, right into the sticky mess between them, his cock slipping from Gabriel’s body, wetness trailing behind it. He remembers harsh breaths in his ear. Gabriel’s embrace…

Then he’s there. Here. Right in front of Sam, memories and reality intertwine as he pulls Sam’s lips down to meet his own. Sam wonders if he remembers chasing the taste in the warm heat of Sam’s tongue. If he remembers the feel of their sweat and come slick skin pressing together. The sensation of Sam’s release slowly dripping from his body. 

He’s breathless, but he follows Gabriel’s lips when they part. He wants, he needs. Then Gabriel’s gripping onto a bicep, dragging him towards the staff door.

“Dude seriously?” 

“Christ Gabriel.” 

“I do not think that is entirely appropriate…”

“Get in there dickface!”

The words filter through the haze of lust surrounding him, but he can’t seem to care. He’s lost in the moment, in the firm fingers grasping on to him, in the flash of bright golden eyes.

As they push through the door, Gabriel calls back over his shoulder.

“What? We can totally do it out here if you prefer. Got no problem with that... What was that?”

He chuckles and ducks as a beermat sails over his head. And then the door swings shut behind them and Sam doesn’t think of anything at all, except the press of quirked lips against his own, the touch of the deft hands divesting him of his clothes, the dry warmth of the hand wrapping around him.

~~~

  
BECKY

Becky just gapes. Gapes as the door swings shut behind them. That. That was so much more than she could ever have dreamed of. Is it… is it hot in here? She fans herself.

“Uh Becky? Are you… are you al-”

Becky spins around, growls low in her throat, grabs onto the front of Chuck’s shirt and pulls him roughly towards her. He yelps, eyes wide and startled as her lips close in on his. And then… after a beat... finally… he gets with the program…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so Gabriel's version wasn't exactly like Rich's. Clearly no wonderful banjo, clearly _he_ instead of _she_. A lot more innuendo. While he doesn't quite come out and say "Sam fucked me in a barn", the implications are pretty clear. So um, as with all these fics, no disrespect intended. Also, Gabriel made me do it, honest! And if you haven't heard Rich's album... just wow... go out and buy it, you won't regret it.
> 
> Re the sex: I think we're all aware of the issues surrounding not using a condom, so I won't bore you with the details. This is fantasy land after all. Let's just assume a lot of cleaning and care beforehand and afterwards. Our boys know how to take care of each other.


	5. Chapter 5

JO

Jo laughs and flings another beermat at Gabriel’s smirking face, but the door swings shut before it can hit home. It rebounds and flops to the floor. She shakes her head. Gabriel is... Sometimes… That performance up there? If she wanted to see that, she would have gone to a strip club or rented an x-rated movie. While she’s not entirely adverse to such things… Gabriel… well Gabriel is like her brother. She _really_ did not need to see that. She supposes she should be used to it by now. It’s not like he’s ever been shy. After all, Hallowe’en was worse, _much_ worse. She and half the bar really got an eyeful then. 

She sighs and circles around the bar, smiles over as Benny takes the stage. Opening her drink she leans back and relaxes, letting her mind drift as his soft, deep and melodious drawl fills the room.

She doesn’t know when it happened exactly, when Gabriel weaseled his way into her affections, became part of her family… but that’s what he is. These last few weeks have been tough on him. On Luke too no doubt. He’s an asshole, but Jo finds she cares about him too. 

But the cabin, it seems to have done both of them a world of good. She understands... she’s been there.

Gabriel was looking worn, weary. He was suffering. And she hated seeing him like that. Now, now he’s more than making up for that time. It’s like he’s facing the world with renewed vigor, renewed _something_ all right. She smiles to herself, taking a sip from her beer. She didn’t always get it. There was a time when she didn’t understand. Couldn’t fathom why her mother had such faith in him. But then. Then she saw it. Saw beneath the façade. It was such a small thing. But at the time it meant something, maybe everything… 

~~~

  
_Next time she’s taking Mom to a rescue shelter. Next time she starts to get that look in her eyes. The next time she sighs and starts gazing into the distance, brows drawn together in contemplation. Next time she’s coming home with a rescue pup. Not… not this again. No more strays. No more hopeless cases. No more…_

_She sighs and clenches her teeth as he saunters in, wide smile on his face as he approaches the bar. Only 20 minutes late this time. Must be a record. He leans against the bar, casual as can be, chin propped on his elbow, giving her what she presumes is supposed to be his ‘innocent look’. He even flutters his eyelashes at her. Not going to work on her. He may think he’s cute, but really? Really, he’s just another annoying asshole taking advantage… Of her mother’s need to take care of others, of her boss’ willingness to give someone a chance. She narrows her eyes, huffs out an irritated breath. She stalks over to the sink, picks up the dishcloth and flings it in his direction, not bothering to see if he catches it or if it smacks him in the face._

_It’s busy so she moves to the till, resolutely ignoring his attempts at flattery, his stupid, made up excuses. She’s heard them all before. As she serves the next customer, she wonders idly just long he’ll last. Just how long he’ll stick around. Will he just take and take and then hit the road like the last one...? Leaving her mother sorely disappointed. It’s likely. It’s just a matter of time_

_At least his brother’s got some experience. She has to watch him with the rude or awkward customers. He’s got a temper on him. Doesn’t take any shit. He can be obnoxious as hell. Sometimes it’s funny. Often times it’s not. But for all that, at least he’s reliable, at least he works. At least he doesn’t spend the vast majority of his working hours flirting with the customers. Christ, he’s at it again. Leaning over the table he’s supposed to be collecting glasses from, fluttering his eyelashes at some tall and lanky nerdy type. The guy doesn’t seem particularly impressed for the moment, but… oh there it is. He just said something funny and suddenly there’s interest sparking in the stranger’s eyes. Looks like she’s getting zero work from Mom’s pet project tonight._

_Jo sighs and braces herself for a busy night._

_The time passes quickly at least. She’s exhausted. From the constant orders, from picking up Gabriel’s slack, from rebuffing the constant passes made at her... That’s exhausting in itself. It doesn’t seem to matter how uninterested she looks, how little attention she pays to their advances. It’s always the same._

_This one though, this one’s really not taking no for an answer._

_“Come on, it’s just a number sweet heart, what harm could it do? Huh? Promise I won’t bite. Not unless you want me to.” He eyes her up and down, a lewd smirk spreading across his features. “Looks like you like it a little rough. Don’t you sugar?”_

_That’s it, enough of the pleasantries. Time to take out the trash. She draws in a breath, narrows her eyes and-_

_There’s a long low whistle from behind him. The guy looks confused._

_“Holy cats, that’s quite the tidy little tush you got there. Do you work out or were you just blessed with the good genes?”_

_The man’s face flushes red; his jaw visibly clenches._

_Jo just stands there, completely taken aback, just stands and watches as Gabriel swings around the man, propping himself against the bar. He draws his lower lip into his mouth and makes a show of running his eyes up and down the man’s body._

_“Definitely the good genes. Mmm hmm, that’s what I’m talking about.”_

_The man whips around, body held taut like a coiled spring. “Listen pal, take a hike. I aint interested in qu… people like you.” He laughs a little; it’s a cold sound. “And even if I was, you really think I’d take it from a little freak like you?”_

_Gabriel just leans back and chuckles. “You’re so hot when you’re angry. Got to say, you must be a real cracker under the bed sheets… Or on top of them. Oh no wait… You like it up against the wall best. Am I right?”_

_When Gabriel then proceeds to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively, that’s when the guy really loses his shit. Jo’s so confounded by Gabriel’s behavior, by the events unfolding before her, that she reacts a moment too late. By the time Jo makes it over the bar, Gabriel’s pinned against the bar top, the man’s hand attempting to close around his throat. And Gabriel’s just fucking grinning up at him like the Cheshire cat. Even as the man draws back one clenched fist, ready to… Jo grabs hold of his wrist, twists in just the right place, as she aims a kick to the back of his knee._

_He goes down, yelling and cursing, and calling Jo all the names under the sun. Gabriel coughs a little, but mostly he laughs. Jo takes a moment to eye the delicate pale skin of his neck. Damn, there’s going to be bruising._

_“You fucking-”_

_Jo whips around to face him. “Leave. Just get your sorry ass up off that floor and leave, before I show you what I can really do to a great big asshole like you.”_

_The man clambers to his feet, rubbing his wrist and narrowing his eyes at her. “You saw what he did. He fucking provoked me. If anyone should leave, it’s that little shit, that messed up freak.” He stabs a finger in Gabriel’s direction._

_“And what exactly did I do?” Gabriel walks around to face him. There’s no smirk on his face now. He levels a serious look at the man in front of him. “Did I make you uncomfortable? Did I,” he purses his lips, “oh, maybe not take ‘no’ for an answer? Hmm?”_

_The man’s face falls. He’s finally getting it. Jo tries to keep the smile from her lips, but she can’t help it._

_Gabriel takes a step closer. Jo draws in a sharp breath as he leans right into the man’s personal space, eyes flaring brightly with barely suppressed anger. He looks dangerous. As dangerous as Luke on a bad day, maybe more so._

_“Maybe you’ll remember that Bucko. Remember it the next time you start thinking you can weasel your way into someone’s pants. ‘No’ means you fucking walk away. With your dick between your legs. While you still got one. Kapisch?”_

_Jo holds her breath. She wonders if she’ll have to separate them. The man is staring at Gabriel. Gabriel is staring right back. The guy has several inches on him and clearly has more muscle mass, but right now, Gabriel’s a tight ball of barely suppressed rage. If it comes down to a fight, she knows who she’d put her money on._

_And then it’s over. Just like that. The guy looks down, away. Gabriel steps to the side, lets the asshole walk away with his tail between his legs… or his dick as Gabriel so eloquently put it._

_They stand side by side and watch as the door swings shut behind him. Then Gabriel turns towards her, hand raised in the air, eyebrow quirked upwards. Jo looks at him, she shakes her head, lets out a small laugh._

_“Come on Jo-ster, don’t leave me hanging!” He tilts his head to the side, gives his most ‘adorable’ pout._

_Fuck it. She raises her own hand and lays it on him._

_He hisses in a breath, grabs hold of his palm in his other hand, rubs it vigorously. “That’s one helluva 5 you got there Jo-kins. Yeesh.”_

_She finds her lips curving into a smile, she steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder. “You’re goddamn crazy Gabriel. But… I guess you’re ok.”_

_The smile he gives her in return, is wide and brilliant, little dimples forming in the corners of his mouth. She sighs. He may be breaking plenty of hearts with that smile, but not this heart. There’s no damn way…_

~~~

But he did, in a way. Just not in the way Jo expected he would try for. He never tried it on with her. Not once. Instead he respected her; instead they became friends. Friends and then more. So much more. They became family. He may still be that crazy little asshole she first met a little over six years ago, but she loves him. Loves him like the brother she never had… never particularly wanted… yet got all the same. And she wouldn’t change it, wouldn’t change it for the world.

~~~

  
GABRIEL

Gabriel draws in a wheezing breath as Sam removes the belt from his mouth. He sprawls back onto the floor. It’s not comfortable. Not comfortable at all. His ass is half on Sam’s thigh, and the kid doesn’t exactly have much padding, legs hapzardly sprawled either side of Sam’s frame. 

Sam’s breathing heavily too, his hair’s all sorts of messed up. For once, _he’s_ the one that looks like he’s gone through a hedge backwards. Oh no… he just brushed his fingers through it… and it looks perfect again. _How?_ How is that even possible? Still, he’s looking dazed at least. Dazed and… and amused? _What?_ He’s staring at Gabriel’s cheek, body starting to shake. A giggling fit? _Really?_ Has Gabriel got something on his face or something? He’s pretty sure Jo took care of that the other day, so what on Earth… He reaches up tentatively as Sam makes a ridiculous snorting noise. Definitely sounding like a donkey there Kiddo. Super attractive. It’s kinda sticky and… Oh. _Oh!_

Now it’s Gabriel’s turn to bark out a loud, but definitely more sophisticated laugh. _Accidental bukkake! Again!_ He can’t help but chuckle to himself.

They should really get back out there, it’s rapidly approaching midnight. Definitely time to party. He can hear the sounds of Lucy taking to the stage with his favorite – read that as _only_ – performance. Only this time he appears to have Miss Congeniality as his back up vocals. Gotta say, he’d really like to see that duet. 

But more than that… much more than that… He wants to stay here. Wants to stay here with Sam and his ridiculous donkey laugh. To bask in the afterglow and the hilarity of another sexual mishap. There are benefits to their height difference… Not many, but some. But even the challenges… Well they just make things a little more interesting. And apparently more _kinky_. Even if it wasn’t exactly on purpose. He’ll go with it. What’s a little come on the face, when you’re dealing with the most gloriously fantastic sex life he’s ever experienced?

He draws his lower lip into his mouth, captures Sam’s gaze. Turning the heat up to volcanic, he swipes one digit over his cheek... Wow that’s… that’s actually a helluva load there. How did he not notice that? Anyways, now he has Sam’s attention… He pops the digit in his mouth and sucks, hollowing his cheeks just so. The look he receives in return, sends a bolt of desire through his veins, right down to his spent dick. He’s idly wondering if there’s any possibility he can get it up for round two, then Sam’s on him, tongue firmly planted in his mouth, right beside the finger… licking… _Oh God_ … licking what’s left… Ok uh… yeah… yeah things are looking up… most definitely up…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say how much I enjoyed writing Gabriel in this chapter... So so much. Hope you enjoyed it too.
> 
> Oh and Gabriel did get a lot better at his job... Though he may still... On occasion... Ok maybe fairly often... Is a tad late


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little added illustration at the end. I'm not 100% sure it'll work because it's linked to a queued post on Tumblr. Let me know if not and I'll try to fix it.

SAM

Gabriel is a ball of frenetic energy. That’s the only way to describe it. It’s roughly 20 minutes until midnight and he’s ricocheting across the room like a pinball, bestowing upwary friends with a variety of absurd props and glowsticks, and taking startled selfies with them, before moving on to his next victim.

Sam can’t help but stand there and laugh as the makeshift 2020 deely boppers on his head wave frantically in the air with his excited motions; two glittery phallices with stick on, equally glittery numbers, sway erratically and out of step with the music, with every exuberant move.

He skips over to Chuck and Becky, throws an Eleventh Doctor style fez on her head and wraps a bright pink feather boa around his friend’s neck. Chuck makes a face at him, but then he’s laughing at something Gabriel says and wrapping his arm around his back as Gabriel centers himself between them. They all make ridiculous faces at the camera as Gabriel snaps a few shots. In the last he leans over, grabs Chuck’s face and plants a large slobbery looking kiss right on his lips. A loud and ridiculous sounding laugh bubbles up from Sam’s belly at the sight of his friend’s startled and disturbed face, then he catches sight of Becky’s expression and he doubles over, body shaking uncontrollably as a fit of the giggles takes over his body.

Someone slaps him hard on the back. He chokes down one last hiccuping laugh and turns to glare at… not his brother as he expected, but at a smirking Luke.

“Hey there brother fucker. Try not to give yourself a hernia, hmm?” he drawls.

He feels a smack on his ass and whips his head around to catch sight of Luke’s equally obnoxious other half. 

“Nice tight ass you got there wank face.” She smirks as she sidles up to Luke’s side with a bottle of Gabriel’s alcopop in one hand, the other hand going to the front of Luke’s leather pants. “Not as nice as this,” she adds, making a growling noise in the back of her throat and squeezing right there. 

_Jesus_. Sam swiftly looks away, though not quite quick enough to avoid seeing Luke draw her roughly towards him, their tongues meeting in the air. _Christ, seriously?_

Sam’s eyes catch on his brother across the room, one arm slung over Cas’ shoulders. It looks rather like poor Cas is actually propping him up now. As Sam watches, Gabriel dances over and attempts to plant a sparkly blue, tinsel wig on Dean’s head. Even in his drunken state, Dean’s having none of it. Detaching himself from Cas, he grabs hold of the wig, whips Gabriel’s deely boppers off and shoves the wig down haphazardly on top of Gabriel’s head. Gabriel pouts. Dean just laughs and places the deely boppers on his own head. They have what can only be termed as a ‘smirk off’while Cas looks on incredulously. Then Gabriel shrugs his shoulders, deposits a… Sam snorts out a laugh… a ‘pretty floral bonnet’ on Cas’ tilted head and throws himself into a quick pose in front of them, before Cas has a chance to remove it.

Shaking his head, Sam walks over to the bar where Jo and Benny are pouring glasses of fizz. He doesn’t quite make it though. Gabriel’s on the move again, advancing on his position with a floral garland in hand. He stops just short, making a considering face. Sam raises his eyebrows, wondering if Gabriel’s going to climb up him, fling himself into Sam’s arms or play hoopla. After a beat, Sam gives in to the inevitable. He steps forward and takes the gardland from Gabriel, placing it on his own head with a quirked smile. 

A small laugh filters through the sound system and Sam glances over to see Charlie grinning at him. She waves and mouths, _it’s so you_ at him, before launching into the second verse of Coldplay’s “Yellow”. Sam gives her a sheepish smile and shrugs his shoulders.

Gabriel clears his throat impatiently and Sam turns his attention back towards him. He still has the glittery wig on. It looks all sorts of ridiculous, but at the same time… incredibly adorable. Gabriel raises an eyebrow, tilts his head and pulls a faux red rose from behind his back.

“Bonjour mon amour,” he drawls in a soft seductive purr. 

Sam feels ludicrously like he’s being proposed to, or maybe with this garland, they’re already at the church, ready to make their vows. He laughs and shakes his head, taking the offered rose from Gabriel’s hand and obediantly posing for a selfie. When it’s done, Gabriel lingers a moment, bright golden eyes looking up at him, lips spread into a wide dimpled smile. He reaches up on his tiptoes to press a light kiss to Sam’s lips before he’s bounding off again… In the direction of Luke and Amelia’s make out session. Yeah good luck with that. 

Sam smiles to himself, he looks down at the rose in his hand, memory suddenly sparking in him. Of course he remembers the rose left on his easel, the note underneath saying those very words. But more than that… more than that, he remembers the park. That early November afternoon. The sunshine filtering through Autumn leaves, the rose petals scattered over the old ratty rug…

~~~

_He’s a little nervous. Ok, maybe a lot nervous. In a way it’s ridiculous to feel like this. After everything they’ve been through. All those late nights spent in each other’s company. Sharing dinner and ridiculous stories of eccentric students and crazy brothers. After that night on the rooftop, snuggled under the same blanket, eating by candle light and staring up at the heavens above them. In a way **that** was their first date. Though neither of them knew it at the time… Well maybe Gabriel did. Sam has a pretty strong feeling that the romantic atmosphere that night was absolutely intentional. He laughs and shakes his head._

_And then there was Hallowe’en. Up against the wall at the back of the Roadhouse… those tight, gold gilded curls… the skimpy toga. Reaching under the flimsy fabric to be met with bare skin and… He draws in a breath. Thinking about that isn’t exactly going to help with his nerves._

_He reaches the clearing and glances about. It doesn’t take long to spot him. Sam draws in another sharp breath. He’s right in that spot. The spot where… It **was** him. It must have been. The sketch he drew. Utterly captivated by this sprawled, carefree form… he couldn’t help it. He had an inkling, after thinking back to the leaf in his hair. But this… It would be too much of a coincidence… Sam’s heart skips a beat as he watches the fidgety form across the clearing, flop back and sprawl... Well that… that kind of confirms it. Sam takes a moment to ponder it. Without knowing who it was, he was still inexplicably drawn to Gabriel. He’s not sure what that could possibly mean… It’s probably best he doesn’t examine it too closely. He’s nervous enough as it is. _

_Taking a deep breath, he shoves shaking hands in his pockets and starts to make his way over. When he’s about halfway across the clearing, Gabriel spots him. His head pops up, neck craning in a way that shouldn’t be so adorable and then he’s hopping exitedly to his feet, practically vibrating on the spot with a heart breaking, wide dimpled smile stretched across his features. Then he freezes, makes a little ‘o’ shape with his mouth and dashes over to a cool box, reaching behind to pull out… a single red rose. As Sam draws nearer, Gabriel holds the rose in one hand, twirling it in his fingertips, expression shifting seamlessly from excited 7 year old on Christmas Eve, to something far more sultry and seductive. Sam swallows around the sudden lump in his throat._

_“Bonjour mon amour,” Gabriel drawls, tilting his head a little to the side and regarding Sam with a heated intensity that sends Sam’s heartbeat into overdrive._

_He feels his palms getting all sweaty. **Christ**. He feels like an adolescent again. This doesn’t just feel like his first date with Gabriel. It feels like his first date, period. _

_Gabriel’s lips quirk upwards, like he can read Sam’s mind. Damn it. But Gabriel doesn’t appear to be put off by his flustered countenance… No he rather seems… Aroused? Christ. He’s kind of flaring his nostrils a little, gaze turning a little more heated. But then he seems to catch himself, cheeks flushing lightly. He chuckles, the sound soft and oddly beautiful, diverts his gaze and draws in a breath. It’s fleeting. This little moment, this fractional loss of composure. But there’s something about it that makes Sam’s stomach flip flop, that makes his heart race._

_And then Gabriel squares his shoulders, head held high, seductive smile back in place as he gestures for Sam to sit… sprawl… Sam’s not sure which. **Oh**. Sam looks down and sees the carpet of Rose petals scattered across the rug. Wow. That’s… Nervous as he is, Sam almost bursts out laughing… It’s… It’s completely over the top. But that… that’s Gabriel through and through. And there’s that somersaulting heart beat again. Sam takes in yet another deep breath before awkwardly lowering himself onto the old tattered rug, onto the bed of rose petals. Gabriel plops down across from him. _

_They stare at each other for a moment. Sam finds himself getting lost in those honey gold eyes and then Gabriel chuckles, lips stretching into a wide smile, eyes crinkling at the corners, those beautiful dimples making another appearance. He grabs hold of Sam’s arm. Sam doesn’t know what he means at first, but then Gabriel’s sprawling on his back, tugging Sam down with him._

_Sam goes willingly, trying not to feel utterly ridiculous. Because here they are, two grown men, sprawled on their backs in a public park, lying on a bed of rose petals… And then his breath catches in his throat. He gazes up through the leaves. There aren’t so many left as when he was last here, but the effect is startling all the same. It’s a bright, sunny day, unseasonably warm. The light is filtering through the leaves, producing the most glorious kaleidoscope of warm, jewelled shades. There… that gold. That’s the exact shade of-_

_His heart stutters in his chest as he feels Gabriel’s fingers tangle with his, thoughts derailed by the touch of warm skin. He wishes he could speak, that he could thank Gabriel for all this, but words are proving elusive, so he just stares up through the autumn leaves, feeling the warmth of the dappled sunlight playing across his skin, the simple press of skin on skin and the deep feeling of contentment in his bones._

_He’ll blame that for what happens next. That sinking into a pleasant haze. For that instant he feels utterly blissfully relaxed, the nerves disappating with every breath. Which is probably why, a fraction of a second later, he lets out the most ludicrously strangled, startled yelp, as a warm solid body suddenly mounts him, soft lips descending on his gaping mouth. **Christ**. God. Gabriel’s tongue is right there inside his mouth, tangling with his own, hands cupping the sides of his face as he kisses Sam breathless._

_Sam’s heart is hammering in his chest again. He reaches up and tangles his fingers in the soft curls at the back of Gabriel’s neck. Gabriel groans into his mouth and pushes his hips down against Sam’s abdomin and God… he can feel… is Gabriel getting hard? **Fuck. Christ**. They can’t… they can’t do anything like that out here. Part of Sam knows he should probably put a stop to this, gently remove the solid body from on top of him… but the press of that body, the warm softness and hard muscles, the tongue exploring inside his mouth, the fingers tangling in his own hair… He couldn’t stop this if his life depended on it. _

_So he just throws caution to the wind. He just goes with it. Lets himself be led. Lets himself just feel. It’s freeing, letting go like this, not caring about the world outside this little bubble of them. Not worrying about what other people might thin-_

_There’s a loud sound right above them. Someone clearing their throat. **Fuck. Shit.** Sam freezes. Gabriel just keeps on kissing him for a moment, then he makes a loud sound of complaint as the person above them heaves a sigh and says in a mildly exhasperated tone:_

_“Gabriel? Is that… is that you?”_

_Gabriel finally, finally pulls back, shooting Sam a little eyeroll, before twisting his body and looking up. **Christ** , he’s not actually getting off Sam, hips still very much pressed into him, semi hard length poking at his belly. Sam flushes furiously and looks up._

_**Oh fuck! Christ!** It’s a goddamn… not the Sheriff at least, but that’s most definitely a deputy. He should really, really get up, get out of this rather compromising position, but he’s completely pinned by Gabriel’s solid weight. And Gabriel’s just… Is he grinning? Grinning and waving?_

_“Jimmy!” He exclaims, with a wide smile. “Long time no see! How’s the wife and kids?”_

_**Jesus christ.** Sam just lies there as Gabriel has a somewhat jovial conversation with the deputy about his goddamn family. About baseball games and bake sales. Like he wasn’t just caught making out, somewhat inappropriately, with his date, right in the middle of a public park. _

_After what seems like an age from Sam’s incredibly discomfited position, the conversation winds down and the Deputy, Jimmy, shifts from foot to foot, seeming a little uncomfortable._

_“Gabriel… we’ve had a few complaints…”_

_Gabriel actually rolls his eyes. Sam winces. Christ. Then he mutters something under his breath about outdated views and bigotry. While Sam shares his point of view to an extent… What they’ve been doing here isn’t exactly appropriate no matter their respective genders._

_Jimmy looks even more uncomfortable, he glances away, then back at Gabriel. “It’s actually more… What I meant to say is… It’s not really about your… uh… choice of partner per se. It’s more… well...”_

_He gestures at Gabriel’s position, still sprawled across Sam’s form. Sam flushes furiously and gives a small awkward smile. Christ this is… This is the very definition of awkward._

_Gabriel just makes a face and shrugs, like this isn’t weird at all. Completely normal behaviour._

_Jimmy clears his throat and looks away shaking his head slightly. But Sam doesn’t miss the small smile on his face. “We had reports of some… ruffian... vandalising the rose beds. I was coming down to investigate when we got the… the other complaints.”_

_Gabriel just gapes at him a moment and then he’s chuckling loudly, body shaking above Sam in somewhat distracting ways._

_Jimmy sighs, but he lets out a small laugh and shakes his head, before pursing his lips and levelling a more serious look at Gabriel’s still shaking form._

_“You know I can actually bring you in for that Gabriel…” Gabriel stops laughing, but he makes a ridiculous face at the Deputy. Sam finds himself wincing again. Jimmy just gives one more sigh before adding, “I know. I know. Just no more ransacking the flower beds. You know how much Gail loves them… And well…” He clears his throat and gestures at Gabriel and Sam’s reclined positions. “Maybe tone it down a notch… or two.”_

_Gabriel makes a face again, sighs dramatically, but after a beat, he finally slides off of Sam, propping himself on one elbow and looking pointedly up at Jimmy, **better**?_

_Jimmy gives him a small smile and shakes his head again. “It’s good to see you Gabriel… and…” He looks over at Sam._

_Sam clears his throat, hoping his voice won’t squeak too much. “Uh… Sam… Sam Winchester.”_

_Sam feels his face flush bright red as Jimmy steps up to him and reaches a hand down for Sam to shake. “Winchester?... Winchester… Of course! I’ve met your brother. Just started working up at my old friend Bobby’s garage, what a pleasure to meet you…”_

_Sam reaches up and shakes his hand awkwardly, staring up at him with a slightly bewildered expression as the Deputy proceeds to engage him in a long and somewhat rambling_ _conversation..._

~~~

  
“10 minutes!” Jo shouts from over at the bar.

Sam startles from his reverie, glancing up from the rose in his hand. Gabriel makes a loud exclamation from the stage where he’s standing next to a Princess Leia bun bedecked Charlie. 

“Holy shishkebabs Jo! Gather the troups. We gotta get the group shot in,” Gabriel yells, wide eyed. 

He takes two frantic steps towards the bar and faceplants, legs tangled in the wires, microphone stand tipping over and collapsing on top of him, feedback screeching unpleasantly through the speakers.

Sam just stares for a moment. Wondering how on Earth he ended up with someone so… Well there’s no way to decribe him. He’s just… He’s just _Gabriel_. Sam’s heart skips a beat, like it did the first time, and the second time and the many many times inbetween and then he’s dashing forward to Gabriel’s prone form, wide golden eyes blinking up at him from under a mass of glittering blue strands.

“Little help here Samsquatch,” he says, somewhat squeakily.

Sam can’t help but smile, warmth spreading from the centre of his chest as he crouches down beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid the last chapter is very short, more of an epilogue. Hopefully short and sweet. See you New Year's eve


	7. Chapter 7

GABRIEL

Gabriel blinks up at Sam’s towering frame. Sam’s just gaping at him, with this… this fond look on his face. As enticing as that look is… he’ll save the devouring for later. Because time is very much of the essence right now.

“Little help here Samsquatch,” he squeaks. 

Damn he’s a little winded. Kinda landed on the crown jewels too… That… that definitely stings. But no time to worry about it for now.

Sam crouches down beside him and places those gorgeous big hands on his body, gently lifting him up off the ground while Charlie disentangles his feet from the wires. Those bulging biceps. He draws in a breath through his nose as he stares at the flexing muscles. No. No time. Gotta control himself. He gives Sam a heated look, enjoying the flush spreading over his high cheekbones… Holy cats, he kept the garland on? Damn it but how does he manage to look so adorable and fuckable at the same time? Shit. He’s getting distracted again. Damn this towering pillar of flannel clad sexual fantasy made material… So damn distracting. 

He shakes his head to clear it, almost sending the already dishevelled wig flying across the room. He clamps one hand to his head and wraps the other around one rock hard arm muscle, dragging Sam’s startled form in the direction of the bar.

It takes epic levels of cajoling. So much wasted time. His brother flips him off 5 times and even tells him to go suck his own dick. He’s not entirely sure how that’s possible. He’s flexible, but not _that_ flexible. But eventually, after a litany of colorful abuse from his brother, Amelia actually decides to be helpful, removes her hand from the back of his pants and drags him over. 

Eventually… and with hardly any time to spare, they’re all in position. Gabriel quickly sets up the camera to take several shots, hopefully capture the turn of the new year as well as the group selfie. Hopefully get Dean-o in the shot before he has a chance to disentangle himself from Cas and make with his promise to hit up the jukebox with some ‘real’ music. It’s more likely he’ll actually puke on the jukebox. But Gabriel guesses that’s Cas’ problem. So not his. 

He hops over to Sam, takes the offered glass from his hand and settles back into his embrace. He has no idea if all of them are smiling, or even looking in the right direction, but he grins broadly and feels a weird sense of elation as the timer goes off. 

“10!” That’s Jo from somewhere to his right. He smiles over at her and joins in with…

“9!” The camera goes off again. He’s pretty sure he was caught with his mouth wide open that time. Gonna be super attractive. 

He chuckles through “8!” turning in Sam’s arms to look up into those gorgeous puppy dog eyes. _Mmm hmm_. Gonna be ravishing this one shortly.

“7!”

Sam’s got an odd look on his face. Like he’s completely dazed and caught up in the moment. Grinning widely down at Gabriel. Looking at him like he’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen. Gabriel’s lips part as he just gazes right back. He completely misses “6!” and “5!”.

Sam opens his mouth. Gabriel thinks he’s going to join in, but as the voices around him shout “4!” he blurts it out.

Gabriel stares at him with wide eyes. Did he hear that right? “3!” Because he thought… he really thought for a second that Sam said… that Sam just asked him to move in with him. “2!”. 

“1!” 

There’s a loud cheering and yells of “Happy New Year!” He barely notices as those around him embrace and kiss and make out loudly. He just stares up at Sam. Blinks. The smile starts to fall from Sam’s face. _Woa woa woa._ He hurriedly grasps hold of Sam’s biceps. 

“Do you mean that?” He asks in a rush, before Sam can look any more crestfallen.

“Y- yes.” 

Gabriel can barely hear him over the ruckus around him, but it’s enough. 

With a wide smile spreading over his face, heart stuttering out a staccato beat in his chest, he yells, “Hells yeah!”

It’s Sam’s turn to blink at him now, looking shocked and amazed and all sorts of puppyish. Gabriel can’t take it. He really can’t. He reaches up on his tiptoes, grabs the back of Sam’s neck and pulls him down into the first kiss of the decade. It’s rough, it’s not delicate and it’s maybe a little slobbery, maybe a little x-rated. But he cares little for finese. All he cares about is the tongue down his throat and the hands in his hair. Or rather the person attached to these appendages. 

He cares about them. Their right here and right now. 

Their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! That's it for this fic, but not for the verse. This crazy duo will be back. I'll be posting a couple of drabble requests before the end of January and then I'll be working on the end of Sam's college fic, as yet untitled. I usually have a weird working title. Something Moose related. Anyway, I digress, thanks as always for coming along for the journey. The kudos and comments mean a lot. It's the last day to get in any drabble requests (New Year) so don't be shy. Wishing you all the best for the Year to come and see hopefully see you soon!
> 
> Oh and come join me on Tumblr (Samshine-and-Lollipops). I have been arting recently, so hopefully something you'd enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> The Road So Far (Contains spoilers for the previous two fics)...
> 
> Sam is a relatively mature student. 6 years prior to the Art of Healing, Sam's girlfriend died in a fire at his apartment building while he was studying for a Fine Art degree at Stanford. Sam dropped out and spent the next few years struggling through a boat load of guilt and making some poor life choices, including a relationship with a pretty messed up girl called Ruby. But Dean nudged him back towards his passion and so finally Sam made a fresh start at a different University (the fictional West Kansas University).
> 
> On his second day back, he had his first life drawing class. Enter Gabriel. The attraction was pretty immediate and pretty strong from both sides. Gabriel threw himself into a ridiculous flirting campaign, but Sam just wasn't quite ready for it. They danced around each other for a pretty long time until guilt and fear led Sam to reject Gabriel's advances. Heartbroken, Gabriel made a few dubious decisions. But all was not lost. With a little push and heart to heart from his big brother, Sam finally realised that something in his past wasn't quite what it seemed. But was it too late? And was he still too messed up about Jess. Well yes... and no.
> 
> Gabriel helped him see just how destructive his behaviour was. And finally...finally he let himself have what he so desperately wanted.
> 
> Their relationship developed in What Would Klimt Do. Gabriel had a crazy idea which led to confessions of love and a deepening of their relationhip. But they were still holding back. Insecurities on both sides. Gabriel had a family trip planned and so they found themselves parted and desperately pining for each other. Due to a rather unfortunate oversight on Sam's part, their rather crazy idea, or rather, the erotic art that resulted from it, ended up being assessed by Sam's tutor Ellen. And Ellen very much wanted these incredible pieces in the end of term exhibition. With Gabriel's encouragement Sam agreed. Gabriel only narrowly made it to the exhibition due to a cancelled flight and things... Well things weren't all fun and games. Sam's work met with some heavy criticism and bigotry from fellow mature student and powerful player in the University, Zachariah. As it turned out, Zachariah and his wife Naomi, had major issues with Gabriel and his family. Due to an incident in the past, involving their son and a young Castiel, they are willing to do almost anything to tear Gabriel and by association, Sam, down.
> 
> With Gabriel's brother Luke, things were even worse. Luke intervened in the dispute years ago and his life was summarily destroyed by Naomi and Zachariah. Gabriel got a little caught in the crossfire.
> 
> After the exhibition, Sam and Gabriel found themselves in a better place than ever. Comfortable in each other's arms, preparing for Christmas and maybe thinking about the future. Ellen made them the most perfect offer: to spend Christmas together at her family cabin, along with Dean and Cas. 
> 
> There was only one problem with this picture... Luke. After the exhibition Luke was most certainly not doing well. After trying to calm the situation herself Jo had to call Gabriel in to take care of things.
> 
> Fearful of how Luke's behavior could affect their relationship, Gabriel decided to keep quiet about the situation and deal with it himself. The problem came with the trip. He made the rather dubious decision to bring Luke without telling Sam. 
> 
> Things were not... Well they were not as Sam pictured them. Luke's self destructive behavior made for a retreat that was most certainly not peaceful. 
> 
> Things finally came to a head. Certain things were revealed about the Novak's past, the loss of a parent and unfounded guilt that Gabriel and Luke had carried for years. 
> 
> The rest of the stay at the cabin, was not exactly what you would call ordinary. But they made the most of it, enjoyed each other's company, celebrated in the best way they could and Sam helped Gabriel through some difficult emotions. 
> 
> The last fic ended with their last night at the cabin. Some of my advent ficlets fill in the gaps. 
> 
> Side notes: Gabriel is a former porn star (which he has not told Sam about) and he used to be best friends with Chuck
> 
> Now get ready for a Winchester-Novak Happy (Crazy) New Year...


End file.
